About Our Association

Get To Know Us

The American Chuck Wagon Association started out as a small group of Old West enthusiasts and has expanded to world wide association preserving the American past through competitions, demonstrations, charity and school events and other venues.

Our work is funded by sponsorships (see the power point presentation shown below-right); donations, honorariums and memorials; cookbook, note card & cap sales in our General Store (go shopping), as well as membership dues.

Youth & the ACWA

Our youth are our future and the ACWA supports activities directly involving them. We encourage producers to offer youth competition at their cook offs whenever possible. Many of our cooking crews include young people at the cook offs. The Association also periodically honors an outstanding young cook with the Rookie of the Year award. In 2012 that award went to Drake Tolbert.
In addition, the ACWA offers a scholarship (read more) to selected individuals each year. If interested, download an application here. For the 2012-2013 school year, ACWA was proud to award two scholarships. 2012-13 Scholarship Winners chosen
Another way to involve and educate our youth is with demonstrations. At one cook off, invitations were given to area schools to come on Friday. There were busloads coming and going a good portion of the day. The students were wonderful and the three host wagons enjoyed sharing their camps and telling a little about the history of the chuck wagon and the trail drives.

General Store

Want to take home some of that authentic, Old West taste and style? Now you can with ACWA Cookbooks, beautiful note cards and caps!

Chuck Wagon Catering

Many of our members offer catering services. Check out the link above to contact one of them about bringing some of the finest chuck wagon cooking to your next event.

ACWA News & Events

President's Message

There are many wagon associated things going on around the country. Take the time to investigate and see what you can add to the event. Can you take a wagon or participate in some way? If so, get out there and help us stir the pot this year and show the "unknowing" public what we are all about.
If you just happened to drop in on this website then you are in for a treat. We the people of the American Chuck Wagon Association are passionate about the era of our western heritage that was very brief in nature - approximately 20 years. This was between the time that Charles Goodnight came up with the idea of a chuck wagon and the time the railroads came out west and basically nixed the need for cattle to be driven north so that folks from the north and east could partake in the beef product.
The website has much to offer in the way of direction if you are interested in organizing a competitive event or if you just want to learn about the organization. The ACWA has a couple of non-competitive events coming up that you may be interested in attending. One is in Arizona at the end of March and the other in Colorado in May. Both are outlined on the website and should prove to be a lot of fun. Of course, there are competitive chuck wagon cook offs scheduled all over the country that will give you an idea about trail life and what was cooking at that time. Look one up in your neighborhood and check it out.
I would cordially invite you to become a member of this growing organization. We have a lot of new things on the burner in hopes of making it even better in the years to come and you can be a part of showing off our heritage of the chuck wagon.
Wayne Calk
President
American Chuck Wagon Association

March, 2014
The Annual meeting will be November 1, 2014 in Ft. Davis, Texas. Arrangements are being made at this time. Glenn Moreland is the host.

A Little History

In 1996 at a chuck wagon competition in Amarillo, Texas, a small group of Old West enthusiasts and wagon masters talked about an association. The mission would be to preserve the heritage of the chuck wagon and its use in the short, but significant, era of the cattle drives. In 1997, in Bryson, Texas, by-laws and articles of operation were adopted and the American Chuck Wagon Association was off and running. Today there are members in 31 states, Canada, Germany and Switzerland.
Members participate in Cook off competitions, demonstrations, catering, charity events, school visits and many other activities to fulfill that original mission and even surpass the dreams of those organizers. Thank you for visiting our site and we hope you will visit one or more of our chuck wagon events. Read More ?

ACWA Southwest Chapter
Spring Gathering and Hoorah
March 21-23, 2014

This event provides an opportunity for chuck wagon crews, camp cooks and other interested folks to get together for a weekend in a fairly primitive camp setting. There is ample opportunity to socialize and of course enjoy some great grub but there are also discussion sessions, workshops, a general membership meeting of the American Chuck Wagon Association, a swap meet, cowboy church and campfire entertainment. The Poverty Flats Ranch is 22 miles west of Safford, AZ. Call Russ Richins 602-316-4643 or Dave McDowell 480-313-3988 should you get lost or need more info.

First Annual Chuck Wagon Rendezvous
May 2-4, 2014

Lizzie II at Lost Creek Farms, 45355 East 112th Ave, Bennett, CO 80102 lostcreek@esrta.com 303-644-3081

This is being put on to have a time when we can enjoy every ones company and talk about what we all love to do - enjoy the cowboy way of life. We have room for people to bring their campers and tents to stay at our place. You do not need to bring a wagon; we will have two wagons set up.